Cleft lip and palate: orthodontic management
Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics · Dental (BDS)
Tooth explorer
Interactive 3DPeel through enamel, dentin and pulp — then switch to implants, braces or dentures.
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Study notes
Why is alveolar bone grafting timed at 8–11 years in cleft patients? The graft fills the bony cleft in the alveolar ridge just before the permanent canine erupts beside it — the erupting tooth then grows into grafted bone, stabilizing it and allowing orthodontic movement. Too early and graft resorbs; too late and the canine erupts into the defect. Students learn cleft care as a timed team sequence where orthodontics prepares, surgery grafts, and eruption completes.
Related topics
- Growth and development of craniofacial complex
- Development of dentition and occlusion: deciduous to permanent
- Malocclusion: Angle's classification, Ackerman-Proffit system
- Etiology of malocclusion: genetic, environmental, habits
- Diagnostic records: study models, photographs, radiographs
- Cephalometrics: landmarks, analyses — Steiner, Tweed, Downs